CHAPTER II
A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE
“Jerry, we’ve got to do something!” cried Ned.
“And do it quick!” added Bob.
“We’re doing all we can,” responded the tall youth in tense tones. In all the excitement he remained calmer than did his chums, and calmness was a necessary virtue in this emergency. Jerry Hopkins had that one happy faculty of seldom “losing his head.”
Now he was striving desperately, however, in spite of his seeming calm, to prevent the accident which seemed so imminent. And his companions, catching something of his cool self-control, restrained their own excitement and came to Jerry’s aid.
And while strenuous efforts are thus being made to save the Comet from plunging into the sea, I will beg the indulgence of my old readers for a few moments while I describe, for the benefit of my new ones, something about the three chums and their various activities as set forth in the previous books of this series.
As might be guessed the lads were called the “Motor Boys” for obvious reasons. They were always seen on some form of motor, beginning with a bicycle (which in a way is a motor vehicle) and ending with an airship. No, not ending, for the activities of the motor boys are far from ended, I hope.
To describe the boys themselves I will say that Bob Baker was the son of a wealthy banker, while Ned’s father, Aaron Slade, kept a large department store in which Mr. Baker was also interested. The father of Jerry Hopkins was dead, but his mother had been left comfortably off, and by means of wise investments, recommended by Mr. Baker, had managed to accumulate a small fortune. It will thus be seen that my three heroes were well supplied with money to carry out their ideas of sport in motor vehicles. And they did not depend on their parents for all their funds. The boys were part owners of a valuable gold mine, and they received profits from it.
They lived in the New England town of Cresville, not far from Boston, and were well known in the country roundabout, for they made trips far and near. Often on these trips they had unpleasant experiences with Noddy Nixon, a sort of town bully, and his crony, Bill Berry, as well as with Jack Pender, with whom Noddy chummed.
The first book of this series is entitled “The Motor Boys,” and in it is described how our heroes took part in some bicycle races, and eventually obtained motorcycles for themselves, on which they had a number of adventures.
In a later race they won an auto as a prize, and one of their activities was to take a trip overland. Their companion on this, as well as on other journeys, was a certain Professor Uriah Snodgrass, who was an enthusiastic collector of rare specimens of the animal kingdom, from black fleas to luminous snakes. The professor was an odd character, as you will doubtless soon discover.
After an exciting tour the boys went to Mexico, and, coming back from there, they were instrumental in locating the hermit of Lost Lake.
In the fifth book of the series, entitled “The Motor Boys Afloat,” I related what happened when Jerry, Ned and Bob got a motor boat. They had surprising adventures in their voyage on the Atlantic, later in the strange waters of the Florida Everglades, and then on the Pacific.
Naturally, with the gradual perfecting of air craft, the boys turned their thoughts to them, and in the volume called “The Motor Boys in the Clouds,” I had the pleasure of telling you of their adventures above the earth. They had a long trip which ended in both fame and fortune, and in going over the Rockies they solved a mystery of the air, later effecting a rescue near the clouds, over the ocean.
Again they were on the wing, and learning of a strange treasure they went in search of it. In the book that immediately preceded this one, called “The Motor Boys on the Border,” I told how the boys, returning from the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, found new opportunities awaiting them. This was to undertake a search for sixty nuggets of gold that had been secreted by an old prospector when he had to flee from his enemies. He had hidden them in a deep valley, near the border between Montana and Canada, and sought the aid of the boys and their airship to recover them.
How the sixty nuggets were found, how the enemies were outwitted, and how Professor Snodgrass located his luminous snakes—all this you will find set down in the book.
After these adventures the boys returned home, and to while away the time they had again put in commission their motorship Comet and gone to the Boston aviation meet. They had taken some part in it, winning two prizes for all-around efficiency.
Perhaps my new readers will like a brief description of the Comet. It was a craft built for comfort, and for long trips rather than for speed, though it could skim along very fast when necessary. The motorship was, as its name indicates, a veritable ship, and the addition of hydroplanes enabled it to navigate on the water as well as in the air. Wheels could be attached, if desired, so that it could also move along on smooth ground, but this was seldom done, and no great speed was attained that way.
As I have said the Comet could be used either as a biplane, or as a dirigible balloon. There was considerable machinery aboard it—motors, dynamos, gas-producing apparatus; and on board the boys and their friends could live comfortably for many days without descending.
There was a main cabin, sleeping berths, the motor room, where most of the machinery was installed, and a pilot house that contained the guiding levers and wheels. The bottom of part of the craft contained heavy plate glass, so observations of the earth could be made through it.
And I must not forget the kitchen and dining room. These places were the especial delight of Bob Baker, for I think I have already indicated that “Chunky,” as Bob was often called, because of his short and plump conformation, was very fond of eating. His chums joked him about it, but he seldom minded that.
And it was in the Comet that our heroes now were, having decided to navigate for a while over the sea after witnessing some sensational flights at the aviation grounds outside of Boston. And it was also in the Comet that danger had now come to the boys as they sought to descend to get a nearer view of what they thought might be a great whale, but which did not act as a whale should.
“How about it, Jerry? Are we gaining any?” cried Ned, as he stood beside the gas machine, trying to hasten the filling of the lifting-bags.
“I think so,” was the answer. Jerry never took his eyes from the pressure gage that told how much gas was being forced out from the containers.
“But we’re still going down!” cried Bob, who was looking at the height-indicator. “And going down fast, too! We’re only five hundred feet up now!”
“I know it, Chunky,” said Jerry, still quietly. “We are doing all we can. Even if we do hit the water you know we still have the hydroplanes.”
“Oh, it isn’t a question of actually sinking,” called Ned, as he opened the gas valve to the limit. “We’d probably float safely enough, but we’re going down so fast that if we hit at this speed, we’ll be sure to rip the planes off, and do no end of other damage to our boat!”
“That’s the point,” agreed Jerry. “It’s only the speed at which we are falling that I’m afraid of. Ordinarily we could volplane down and take the water easily enough, but the jamming of that deflecting rudder came so suddenly that we couldn’t get in position to make a good descent.”
“We’re on a more even keel now,” observed Ned, as he looked at the indicating pendulum.
“Yes,” agreed Bob, “and we’re going slower, too. We’ve got three hundred feet more, Jerry.”
“Then we can do it, fellows! I guess we’re all right now. Is all the gas out, Ned?”
“About all, yes.”
“And just in time,” murmured the stout lad, his eyes again seeking the height indicator. “Two hundred feet is a pretty close call, as fast as we were falling. We’ve almost stopped now, Jerry.”
“That’s good. We won’t lose any time putting on a new kind of rudder, either. I’ve had it in mind a good while to change ours. I wish I hadn’t delayed so long.”
A moment later the motorship ceased her descent, and was floating on an even keel, a short distance above the rolling waves, blown gently along by the wind, for her propellers were not revolving.
“Well, we may as well start again, and make for shore as a dirigible balloon,” said Jerry, after a little pause, in which they all breathed more freely. It had been an exciting time for them, but they had met the emergency bravely, and with the grit and spunk of true American youths.
“I wonder what has become of the cause of all our trouble?” ventured Ned. “I haven’t thought to look for that whale. Let’s take a peep, fellows.”
Before starting the propellers the boys went out on the partially enclosed deck and looked about them. At first they did not see the strange object that had attracted their attention. Then, as he gazed to the North, Bob cried:
“There she is—and, fellows, as I’m alive it isn’t a whale at all! Look! It’s a submarine! See the men on her decks! They’re looking at us!”
With gasps of astonishment, Ned and Jerry turned toward where Bob pointed.
There, lazily rolling with the action of the waves, was indeed a large submarine boat, of the latest type, as the boys could see, for they were well up on naval matters. The half-rounded deck, the sides and blunt stern and bow of the strange craft glistened from the water that had splashed over her, or perhaps it was wet from just having dived, and come to the surface again.
And, as Bob had said, there were several men on the low deck, that was almost awash. They looked curiously at our heroes. The men appeared to be mechanics, for their clothes were rough and grease-covered. But then, in a submarine, even the officers get that way, for the quarters are very cramped.
“That’s a foreign submarine!” exclaimed Ned, suddenly.
“How do you know?” asked Jerry.
“Because I can tell by her build, and by the look of the men. That’s a foreign submarine, and I shouldn’t be surprised if she was the one——”
Ned stopped suddenly.
“What is it? Why don’t you go on?” asked Jerry, turning to his chum.
“Because I think they can hear us. Sound carries very clearly over water, you know. I’ll tell you later, and——”
“There comes another man on deck!” interrupted Bob. The men on top of the submarine turned their gaze away from the airship as someone, evidently their superior officer, appeared among them, coming up by the deck hatch. They saluted him, and pointed toward the Comet.
Instantly the newcomer turned. The boys could see that he was a large man, with a stern and forbidding face, and his hair and beard were snow-white.
He started as he beheld the craft of our heroes, and evidently gave a command, for the others at once left the deck of the submarine. Then, with a last look at the Comet, the aged commander hurried down through the deck hatch. There was a rattle of metal as the cover was clapped into place, and a second later the submarine disappeared beneath the waters of the bay.